Thierry Vanelslander (°1975) currently is research professor at the Department of Transport and Regional Economics at the University of Antwerp. He graduated as a doctor in Applied Economics at the University of Antwerp in 2005. Until 2013, he was holder of the BNP Paribas Fortis chair on transport, logistics and ports. Until halfway 2009, he was director of the Research Centre on Freight and Passenger Transport, hosted by the Department of Transport and Regional Economics. He is currently course co-ordinator for the courses 'Management of Innovation and Technology' and 'Port Economics and Business' at C-MAT, and 'Transport Economics' at the Faculty of Applied Economics. His research focuses on business economics in the port and maritime sector, and in land and air transport and logistics. His PhD dealt with co-operation and competition in sea-port container handling. He is editorial board member of ‘International Journal of Transport Economics’, ‘Journal of Shipping and Trade’, ‘Competition and Regulation in Network Industries’ and ‘Tijdschrift Vervoerswetenschap’. He was guest editor of 9 special issues in journals like Maritime Policy and Management, International Journal of Transport Economics, Journal of Shipping and Trade, Case Studies in Transport Policy, Research in transportation business & management, He was co-editor of three books, and has chapter publications in 37 other books. In total, he has 52 A1 double-blind peer review publications. He was involved in three award-winning papers (2017 and 2018). He is Session Track Organiser A2 (Ports and Maritime) as well as Topic Area Manager A (Transport modes) within WCTR, and furthermore chair of the Freight and Logistics committee of the European Transport Conference. Christa Sys currently is holder of the BNP Paribas Fortis chair on transport, logistics and ports at the Department of Transport and Regional Economics. Until October 2013, Christa Sys was scientific director of the Research Centre on Freight and passengers flows. Next, she is course co-ordinator for the courses ‘Business Environment’, ‘Maritime Economics and Businesses’ and ‘Maritime Supply Chain’ at the Centre for Maritime and Air Transport (C-MAT). She also teaches at the Faculty of Applied Economics, University of Antwerp, the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Ghent and at the University College Ghent, Faculty of Applied Business (Member of Ghent University Association). Her educational activities focus on (operational aspects of) maritime transport, transport economics and inland transportation. Her research centres on maritime economics and co-operation and competition in shipping. She jointly graduated as a doctor in Applied Economics at the Ghent University and the University of Antwerp (December 2010). Her doctoral research dealt with the competitive conditions, the concentration and the market structure of the container liner shipping industry (link). In 2013, this research was awarded by the Section of Technical Sciences of the Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences with the General Manager Fernand Suykens Prize for Port Studies. Moreover, her research was awarded in 2005 and 2011, and as co-author, she was involved in three award-winning papers (2016, 2017 and 2018). She published three books as author, three books as co-editor, and has chapter publications in 9 other books. Furthermore, she was guest editor of a special issue in ‘Case studies on Transport Policy’. Her academic bibliography counts seventeen A1 double-blind peer review publications.